FARGO – After a 12-day trial, a federal jury in Fargo found two Detroit men guilty for their leadership in a drug trafficking organization targeting three of North Dakota’s Native American Reservations.
Baquan Sledge and Darius Sledge were convicted of multiple counts on Friday, in cases connected with “Operation Blue Prairie,” an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation into the multi-state trafficking of oxycodone.
The multi-agency investigation revealed that the Sledges and their co-conspirators targeted areas with fewer law enforcement resources where they could distribute controlled substances at a premium price.
The Sledges and others used local residences and people for distribution and stash houses to further their criminal activities for monetary gain.
The Spirit Lake, Turtle Mountain and Fort Berthold Reservations were affected.
In total, twenty-six defendants were charged in the case.
